Fentanyl-Laced Drugs Are To Blame For Opioid Crisis’ Ever-Rising Death Toll. But When Labeled That Way, It’s Still Sought After.
In places like San Francisco, where fentanyl is clearly labeled and not disguised as heroin, some people who are addicted to opioids prefer the powerful synthetic. “Fentanyl is stronger, you need less of it, and it’s cheaper. So why wouldn’t I, as somebody with limited funds, want to spend my money on something that’s a better value and therefore a better product?” Kristen Marshall, who runs a drug testing program for the Harm Reduction Coalition, tells Stateline about the drug users she treats.
Stateline:
Some Drug Users In Western U.S. Seek Out Deadly Fentanyl. Here’s Why.
More than half of drug users here purposely seek fentanyl, despite its dangers, according to harm reduction workers who talk to hundreds of drug users every day. Fifty times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, the synthetic opioid was rarely detected in U.S. illicit drug markets or in the bodies of fatal overdose victims just a decade ago. Now it has become the biggest killer in the nation’s raging drug overdose epidemic. (Vestal, 1/7)